By Ko Dong-hwan
After cyberbullying claimed the life of famed K-pop girl band member and social network noisemaker Sulli, the bullies have turned on another celebrity ― Sulli's former boyfriend Choiza.
Shortly after the f(x) star's death shocked the country on Monday, the Instagram of the rapper from hip-hop unit Dynamic Duo attracted hundreds of hate comments. Choiza split with Sulli in 2017 after they admitted their relationship following a paparazzi report in 2014.
The comments condemned Choiza, saying Sulli would not have suffered from cyberbullying comments and died if she had not met him in the first place. Although Choiza has so far not been linked to her death, the comments vented their anger at him without clear reasons. Some fans said the couple's split might have at least partially influenced her to end her life.
The comments included wishing he would "die in a car crash" and that he was hated "more than the cyberbullies." Some criticized the well-known barbecued pork lover for having visited a barbecue restaurant in the Yaksu area in Seoul's Jung-gu District two days before her death. Choiza's latest Instagram post ― of a raw pork cuts at the restaurant ― was flooded with hate comments.
The supporters condemned the Choiza cyberbullies, saying, "Sulli died not because of him but because of people like you" and warning them "not to make another victim of cyberbullying."
Choiza, 39, managed under Amoeba Culture, and Sulli from SM Entertainment had a high-profile coming out as a couple because he was 14 years older. Their relationship, even before they admitted it, had been rumored online based on photos of them together. It forced her to stop her show business activities indefinitely ― until she resurfaced last June as one of four hosts on a JTBC TV variety show on which celebrities talked about online hate comments.
Sulli, who debuted as a child actor, hanged herself at her two-story house in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Seongnam Sujeong Police said a person from her agency discovered her body at around 3:20 p.m. without a death note.
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| Sulli, left, and Choiza. Sulli's Instagram |
Shortly after the f(x) star's death shocked the country on Monday, the Instagram of the rapper from hip-hop unit Dynamic Duo attracted hundreds of hate comments. Choiza split with Sulli in 2017 after they admitted their relationship following a paparazzi report in 2014.
The comments condemned Choiza, saying Sulli would not have suffered from cyberbullying comments and died if she had not met him in the first place. Although Choiza has so far not been linked to her death, the comments vented their anger at him without clear reasons. Some fans said the couple's split might have at least partially influenced her to end her life.
The comments included wishing he would "die in a car crash" and that he was hated "more than the cyberbullies." Some criticized the well-known barbecued pork lover for having visited a barbecue restaurant in the Yaksu area in Seoul's Jung-gu District two days before her death. Choiza's latest Instagram post ― of a raw pork cuts at the restaurant ― was flooded with hate comments.
Following the hate comments, other comments on Choiza's social network site said the cyberbullies must "wake up and stop their groundless, childish actions."
The supporters condemned the Choiza cyberbullies, saying, "Sulli died not because of him but because of people like you" and warning them "not to make another victim of cyberbullying."
Choiza, 39, managed under Amoeba Culture, and Sulli from SM Entertainment had a high-profile coming out as a couple because he was 14 years older. Their relationship, even before they admitted it, had been rumored online based on photos of them together. It forced her to stop her show business activities indefinitely ― until she resurfaced last June as one of four hosts on a JTBC TV variety show on which celebrities talked about online hate comments.
